Protocols have been developed for the preliminary chemical evaluation and characterization of extracts identified by the biological screens. For organic extracts, a solvent-solvent partitioning scheme is utilized to provide five fractions of increasing polarity; the location of the bioactivity is used to guide the selection of an initial chromatographic approach; NMR analyses of the active fractions are used to search for preliminary clues as to chemical class of the active agent(s). For aqueous extracts, a four-stage chemical characterization protocol employing small cartridge chromatography technology produces a profile of the elution of the bioactive components(s); this profile is compared to those of standards, e.g., sulfated polysaccharides, for purposes of dereplication, chemical characterization and selection of appropriate fractionation method.